De Lutte

Losser

Periphery phenomena on the border

For motorists who cross the border between the Netherlands and Germany via the A1 motorway De Lutte is either the first or the last village on Dutch soil. The A1 provides excellent access to De Lutte via the connection to Oldenzaal, but is also causes a great deal of noise nuisance. In addition, it also restricts the villages growth potential. The motorway and the secondary road run close by the village and a sort of buffer zone has developed, part of which is formed by a noise barrier. In the rest of this zone, actually the village periphery, there are a number of old and new business locations which, to put it mildly, contribute little to the villages identity. Because De Lutte faces away from the infrastructure it also turns its back on the attractive, gently-sloping ash landscape encircling the village. It is precisely in this nuisance zone, however, where the opportunities for meshing with the landscape lie.

For motorists who cross the border between the Netherlands and Germany via the A1 motorway De Lutte is either the first or the last village on Dutch soil. The A1 provides excellent access to De Lutte via the connection to Oldenzaal, but is also causes a great deal of noise nuisance. In addition, it also restricts the villages growth potential. The motorway and the secondary road run close by the village and a sort of buffer zone has developed, part of which is formed by a noise barrier. In the rest of this zone, actually the village periphery, there are a number of old and new business locations which, to put it mildly, contribute little to the villages identity. Because De Lutte faces away from the infrastructure it also turns its back on the attractive, gently-sloping ash landscape encircling the village. It is precisely in this nuisance zone, however, where the opportunities for meshing with the landscape lie.

Our proposal is to completely surround De Lutte, to all intents and purposes, with an earthen wall accommodating functions that are normally disproportionate to the scale of the village, but are of economic importance. The way in which this is achieved varies and is dependent on the function itself and the location. In the new, green village periphery this creates space for offices, logistics businesses, intensive cattle breeding, but also for pile-supported housing. The wall guarantees the peace and intimacy of the village and, from the top, it provides a view of both the village and the surrounding landscape.

The walling-in also addresses another assignment in De Lutte: namely the connection between the existing village and the Luttermolenveld, a neighbouring park with holiday homes. Now that permanent residence has recently been permitted here, both halves of the village should also be conceptually interlinked. This new village periphery frames both halves of the village and is crowned by a pedestrian route where long-established villagers and newcomers can take a stroll and meet each other.